9/27/06 – Falcon Northwest is one of the major names for PC gaming specific computer systems. With the trend in PC gaming for portable yet powerful systems that can be carried to LAN parties, Falcon Northwest made sure to develop a small form factor system to meet this need. The FragBox has been around for some time and has evolved from its original design. Let's take a closer look at what they offer...
Processor:
The latest version of the Falcon Northwest FragBox is based upon the AMD socket 939 which is not really the latest. Processor offerings range from the Athlon 64 4200+ all the way up to the Athlon FX-60 dual core processor. While they may not be the latest processor offerings, they do quite well in gaming which is the primary purpose of the FragBox.
Memory:
Since the FragBox uses the older socket 939 processor, it is limited to the use of the DDR memory modules instead of the newer DDR2 standard. Memory configurations range from 512MB up to 2GB. Users can chose either standard PC3200 DDR memory modules or Corsair XMS TWINX modules with lower latencies for improved performance.
Hard Drives:
Hard drive options for the FragBox span a wide range. Consumers can choose between Western Digital or Seagate drives ranging in size from 80GB up to 750GB. Also included are the high speed Raptor drives that many performance gamers love to use even with their lower capacities. The drive options seem quite expensive when compared to the cost of OEM drives though.
Optical Drives:
The default optical drive options on the FragBox are either a Sony 16x DVD-ROM or LiteOn 52x CD-RW drive. It would be nice to see Falcon Northwest include a DVD burner standard, but users do have the option of upgrade to either the Lite-On, Plextor or Sony dual layer DVD burners if they require the ability to create video or data DVDs.
Graphics:
Since the FragBox is designed for gaming, users have a choice of three different graphics cards. The lowest is the GeForce 7600GT that is still quite decent for PC gaming albeit without a lot of filtering enabled. Higher end gamers can look at using a GeForce 7950GT or GeForce 7950GX2 board. For additional performance a second card can also be installed to match these in an SLI configuration. Finally, users can also add in a AGEIA PhysX card as well.
Audio:
Only two options for the sound exist with the FragBox. For many people the standard on-board audio processor will probably be just fine. Gamers would want to upgrade to the Creative X-Fi audio card to reduce the amount of CPU usage for audio and improved environmental audio support in games. No speakers are included but an option for Creative or Logitech speakers is available.
Ports:
Since the FragBox is a larger cube style computer system, it has a wide variety of ports available for expansion and peripherals. A total of six USB 2.0 ports are available as well as two FireWire ports. Internally, the system features a PCI-Express x16 Graphics slot and two PCI-Express x8 slots. A single PCI slot is available for older legacy cards. Some of these internal slots will likely be populated in the configured systems.
Software:
Like most system integrators, Falcon Northwest does not include any software beyond the operating system with the FragBox. Users can select either the Home or Professional version of Windows XP. The only other software option offered with the system is the Zone Labs Internet Security Suite.
Overall Impressions:
With the FragBox's design around a cube small form factor case, the system has a lot of potential thanks to the space to use desktop components. This gives it very strong performance particularly in gaming, which is a good thing as this is who the system is targeted at. It can easily replace a desktop system but it still doesn't get the top level of performance that can be found from full sized desktops.
With all this performance comes the biggest drawback to the FragBox, its price. This small form factor system is significantly higher than what users can find from similarly equipped systems from another company. Frankly, customers are paying for the name recognition and support of Falcon Northwest.
Realizing that many gamers are keen to build their own systems from parts, Falcon has also begun offering the FragBox in a DIY configuration. Essentially the consumer is just buying the case and some extra features but none of the internals such as the motherboard, power supply, drives, etc. This essentially makes it like buying a Shuttle box but with the Falcon Northwest name on it.
The average computer user will likely pass over the FragBox system due to its cost and components. It really is a specialized PC system and if you don't meet that demographic it is best to look at other computer system options available.
